I have never been to Isreal, but I made a whole menu of Isreali food last night. The most important thing was that they liked it. Sometimes I think I live to cook, and other times I think I live to be liked. Which brings me back to…
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com for the love of FAYEFOOD. I am going for 200 votes (I get about 1300 hits a day, and I only need 200 of you to take me to the top!)

Here is the menu from Friday night:

Falafel (Mark Bittman has a fantastic recipe on line–bless his soul)

Flatbread/Pita (from Damascus Bakery on Atlantic Avenue in Brookly–the best pita and best hummus)

Hummus, Baba Ganoush

Fresh Fennel, mint, lemon

Israeli Feta, roasted beets, arugula

Roasted eggplant salad with chic peas and fresh oregano

Warm lentil salad with oven roasted green onion

Israeli couscous with roasted red pepper and olives

Seared artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and boiled egg

Spinach pies (a spinach, feta, scallion and green onion filling with feta in a triangle shaped puff pastry)

Shredded Carrot salad with fresh orange juice, red wine vinegar, shallot, currants and toasted almonds

Yogurt cheese with fresh herbs and lemon zest

Toasted pita triangles tossed with tomato, cucumber, red onion and fresh basil

To make the spinach pastries, just saute one small onion with a tablespoon of fresh dill, a clove of garlic, and a sprig of parsley. Saute until the onion is completely softened and delicious. Season with salt and pepper. Add about a pound of baby spinach leaves, and as soon as they are wilted, set the whole mix over a fine sieve to drain. Give it a good press to get all the liquid out. Add one beaten egg and a handful of Israeli feta. Use your favorite puff pastry (I love Dufour). Give it a roll or two to slightly flatten. Cut into squares and fit the squares into muffin tins. Place a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mix on top of each one. Pinch the corners together the best you can. It’s OK if they open up in the oven. Bake at 375 until deep golden.